


10ordersFaizeLymle

by hazelnutbrew



Series: Livejournal Writing Prompts Collection [3]
Category: Star Ocean: The Last Hope
Genre: Complete, F/M, Fluff, Heterosexual, Looking for beta reader, Romance, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2019-07-24
Packaged: 2020-07-19 03:36:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 8,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19967398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hazelnutbrew/pseuds/hazelnutbrew
Summary: Faize watched as Lymle departed. He looked down at his fingers, which touched the gossamer softness of Lymle's hair. He remembered that when he tilted her head so she faced him, they were almost kissing distance away. Faize then pressed the tips of his fingers against his lips to calm his beating heart.





	1. Chapter 1

1\. Smile for me.  
Lymle appeared rather doll-like, with her hair done up in pigtails and an emotionless gaze. Reimi carefully brushed any tangles out of the tiny Lemurisan’s hair, combing it to sleek perfection until the strands shone with a golden-brown luster. In the meantime, Lymle kicked her legs back and forth on the chair, waiting for Reimi to finish. Faize watched the pair, and felt a little envious that Lymle acted obedient towards Reimi and didn’t throw one of her fitful moods. Reimi set the brush aside, and began combing through Lymle’s hair with gentle fingers. Lymle hummed a little while Reimi preened her hair. Somehow, Reimi possessed a remarkable ability to calm Lymle with a simple touch or a soothing word.

“Excuse me Miss Reimi,” Faize said, making his presence known when Reimi finished. “Your assistance is required on the front deck. Edge wanted to speak to you about something private.”

“Ah, of course,” Reimi said, standing up from her kneeling position and bowing. “I’ll be right there. And Lymle…don’t cause too much trouble for Faize, okay?”

Upon seeing Faize, Lymle had crossed her arms and turned away from him. However, upon hearing Reimi’s request, Lymle gave a reluctant nod of her head, her pigtails rippling with the movement of her head. “If you say so, Rei-Rei.”

Reimi smiled, before she patted a hand on top of Lymle’s head. “You’re a good girl. Faize, please watch over Lymle and make sure she doesn’t draw all over the ship.”

“Will do,” Faize said with a nod. Reimi gave him a gentle smile, before she excused herself and exited out of the room. Lymle still had her back turned towards Faize and had stopped swinging her legs. She remained as still as a statue, and Faize marveled at how doll-like Lymle appeared. If he saw Lymle’s face, he wouldn’t have been surprised to see painted on eyes and porcelain. Faize cleared his throat, before he tried putting on a placating tone. “Just how long are you going to be ignoring me, Lymle?”

Lymle didn’t so much as stir. Faize repressed a sigh, before he tried again. “You seem to like it when Rei-Rei brushes your hair.”

At first, Faize didn’t think Lymle would respond. Lymle made a barely perceptible nod of her head. “Rei-Rei makes it all nice and shiny. I like it when Rei-Rei brushes my hair, ‘kay?”

“That’s nice,” Faize said, straightening and folding his hands behind his back. It seemed that their conversation was making progress, which was encouraging. “Would you…perhaps I can assist Reimi in brushing your hair. She has enough work as it is, being second-in command.”

At this, Lymle hopped off the little stool, before she shook her head frantically. “Faize will mess up my hair. Rei-Rei worked hard making my hair all nice. Dumb Faize will probably pull and tug my hair and make it hurt.”

Faize shook his head. Even though Lymle was being difficult, at least she wasn’t giving him the silent treatment, which was something that she particularly favored when Faize committed some offense. The silent treatment could last for days, even weeks. The current record of the silent treatment was three weeks. “I promise I won’t hurt you while brushing your hair. I can be gentle like Rei-Rei.”

“Stupid Faize,” Lymle remarked, though she sat down on the stool again and took on the semblance of doll once more. 

Faize’s gaze lingered on the Lemurisan for a moment, before he took the brush that Reimi set aside. He gently set a hand on Lymle’s shoulder. She remained as still as ever, but Faize could feel every line in her body go rigid at his touch. Faize then ran the brush through Lymle’s hair, marveling at how silky smooth it was. “See? I’m not tugging or pulling your hair. Does this feel like Rei-Rei brushing your hair?”

“Mmph.” Lymle only said in response.

Faize continued to brush Lymle’s hair, doing one-hundred strokes on the left side, before he worked on the other side. Lymle remained perfectly still, making Faize’s work easier for him. While he was brushing her hair, Lymle seemed to relax her shoulders, and Faize even heard soft humming under her breath. Once Faize performed the final stroke, he set the brush aside and began running his fingers through Lymle’s hair like Reimi did. It was just as soft as he imagined, as her hair spilled through his fingers. 

Once he finished, Faize said, “Will you turn and face me, Lymle?”

Lymle turned around on the stool, though her head remained bowed in an unusually submissive posture and her gaze downcast. Out of impulse, Faize then gently tiled Lymle’s head until she was facing him. “Will you…smile for me, Lymle?”

Faize noted that her lashes fluttered a little, breaking the illusion that Lymle was a mere doll. Lymle gazed at him with honey-brown eyes, and Faize thought he saw the faint stir of emotion behind them. Lymle then stood up from the stool, before she began walking away. “Dumb Faize.”


	2. Chapter 2

2\. Don’t cry.  
Lymle stood before the stature of her grandfather. It was a daily ritual for her to come here after she taught Symbology to the children. She recently taught them how to create a beautiful field of flowers, which the children enjoyed. After everything she had been through on the Calnus and everyone…she had learned to open up, little by little, until she could express emotions that she once thought were deeply buried. She one time thought that she had a hole in heart, and she was afraid that she couldn’t love anyone because of it. However, being with Edgie, Rei-Rei, everyone…even Faize…it made her feel whole again.

“I’m sorry it took me so long, Grandpa,” Lymle said. “I had a lot of fun adventures with everyone. I really had a good time. I’m glad I got to spend time with everyone…even…even Faize…”

Lymle wiped away the beginnings of tears with her sleeve. When had she started crying? Why did thinking about Faize leave a raw ache in her heart? It happened so quickly, when Lymle first heard that Faize was gone from Edge, her heart froze. She remembered all the times that they spent together on the Calnus, and the adventures that they’ve been through, all the hardships that they’ve endured together. It was impossible to think that Faize was gone, lost forever in the abyss where he fell to his death. No, no, thinking about it made the ache in her heart grow intolerable, and she longed to see Faize again, just a glimpse of him, even, if only for his smile. She liked it when he smiled, even though Lymle herself couldn’t. The Lemurisan supposed that Faize sometimes smiled for her sake, or so it seemed during their times together which seemed forever ago.

“Faize is…gone now,” Lymle said while she looked down at her feet, feeling the tears brimming to her eyes freely. How long has it been since she was able to show her emotions so openly like this, to feel the prick of tears against the corners of her eyes? “But I’m not lonely, really. I’m not lonely at all.”

She stood there silently weeping by her grandfather’s statue, as the breeze shifted and ruffled the flowers that the children made through Symbology. It was then that Lymle noticed that someone was approaching, and she turned and her breath caught in her throat when she saw that it was him. She wanted to run up to him and hand her arms loosely around his neck, though Lymle remained restrained and simply turned to face him with a smile upon her face. The tears started flowing more freely now.

“Don’t cry…” Faize said as he reached a tender hand out to her to wipe away her tears, “Lymle…”

Lymle shook her head, causing her pigtails to sway as she did so. She then did what she wanted to do for so long, and ran up towards Faize and wrapped her arms around his neck, taking in his scent and the fact that this was real, that Faize was actually here with her.

“I’m not crying because I’m sad now,” Lymle whispered against Faize’s ear. “I’m crying because I’m happy. Don’t you see, Faize?”

“Ah…of course,” Faize said as he returned Lymle’s embrace, before he unwrapped his arms from around her and stared down at her affectionately. “You look absolutely radiant today.”

Lymle’s heart swelled with happiness when she heard those words being spoken from the Eldarian, and she unlatched her arms from around his neck and gave him a sweet kiss on the lips, tentative at first, like moths bumping one another in the dark. Faize’s eyes widened a bit, though he eventually relaxed and returned her kiss gently. A light blush overcame Lymle’s features, before she said, “Faize…there’s so much that I want to tell you, things that I wanted to tell you before, but couldn’t.”

“I understand,” Faize said, putting a hand against Lymle’s cheek gently, caressing it. “I finally found a place I can truly call home now.”

Lymle smiled and nodded, before taking Faize’s hand gently within her own. “Welcome home, Faize.”


	3. Chapter 3

3\. Shut up.  
“Lymle.”

Silence.

“Lymle.”

More silence.

“Just how long are you going to be ignoring me? Don’t be childish,” Faize chided the young Lemurian. “You know better than that.”

“Shut up, Faize,” Lymle said as she huffed and turned her back on him. As though to disobey him further, she began making more frantic scribbles on the ship’s surface with her staff. It was enough for Faize to pull out his hair. Normally, he was a very restrained and well-mannered young Eldarian. But sometimes, Lymle tested his patience. He was pretty sure that he was just as infuriating to the Lemurian, though really, he was the responsible one here. Lymle was a child, after all. Faize convinced himself that he wasn’t, that he was an adult, more mature.

But somehow irritation went through him. He couldn’t restrain himself. “You act like such a child. Why don’t we discuss this matter like adults? I’m trying to speak to you like an adult. So why don’t you…just grow up, Lymle?”

Lymle gave Faize a cold stare, indicating that she understood every word perfectly. Her lip trembled a bit, before her expression turned slightly angry. She normally didn’t show as much emotion on her face, though Faize could tell in the subtle pull of her lip and the turn of her brows that she was angry with him.

“Grow up, Faize,” she echoed back at him, before she began back to her scribbling on the ship once more.

Something changed between them. Faize knew that he went too far. Yet he was too proud to apologize. He was the adult, after all, he mustn’t waver. Though some part of his subconscious mind told Faize that he was the one being a child.

“Lymle.”

“…”

“I’m not going to apologize for what I said.”

“…”

Silence. Then.

“You’re going to be mad at me for a long time. I know that. I’m also pretty annoyed with you right now. But just to let you know…”

Lymle paused, hanging onto every word that Faize was saying.

“…That though you may be childish, I’m not the adult that I think I am. I try to be responsible, I try to do my duty, but really, I’m just a scared little kid that doesn’t know what’s going on with him. Please Lymle, I’ve just been…not myself lately. I’m sure that I will be better soon.”

Lymle started drawing again, though slower than usual.

“Lymle..I do care about you. Even if we get mad. Even if I’m not myself. I know that I’ve upset you, but sometimes we hurt the ones we care about.”

Lymle turned to face him, before she waddled over and gave Faize a tight hug against his middle.

“Dumb Faize. I’m not angry anymore, ‘kay? Faize is scared. It’s okay to be scared.”

“Yes, Lymle, I’m…scared…” Faize said, casting his eyes down. “I’m just afraid that I’m going to do something that I regret very much.”

“Then…” Lymle said, unwrapping her arms from around him and poking him on the nose to get his attention with her finger. “Promise me.”

“Promise you what?”

“That Faize won’t run away.”

A lump formed in Faize’s throat. He thought about running away before ,of abandoning the group, of abandoning his old self. To go on a dark ruinous path that would only lead to more pain and grief.

“I promise, Lymle.”

“Good.”

Lymle then planted a chaste kiss on Faize’s lips. Faize felt his heartbeat rise and his face flush from the heat, and he looked deep into Lymle’s eyes. That look on her face was all he needed to be able to stay.


	4. Chapter 4

4\. Leave me alone.  
Lymle commented that the cloak he wore over his shoulder looked bad on him. Faize chuckled at this, and said that it was more reason for him to wear it. However, Lymle didn’t seem to take it as amusedly as he did, and simply gave him the silent treatment that she was prone to giving him whenever she was displeased with him. Faize let out a sigh. He wasn’t sure what the Lemurisan was thinking, and her expression was always unfathomable, almost doll-like without any emotional gradients whatsoever upon its landscape. Faize wasn’t sure why Lymle was acting colder to him than usual. She was always difficult towards him, in her child-like ways, though Faize supposed that it couldn’t be helped. Still, he hoped to make amends with the young girl, especially since they needed their camaraderie to be in high spirits, now more than ever. None of the Calnus members could afford to fall apart, now.

Faize walked the Calnus while following Lymle, who appeared to be drawing all over the ship with more fervor than before. He thought about scolding her for drawing on the ship, though decided against it. He didn’t want to encourage more ill feelings towards himself that way. So he simply watched Lymle while she did her own thing, though she seemed very rigid whenever she noticed that Faize was following her. She gave no sign of acknowledgement towards him, simply drawing symbols on the ship in her unhurried way, as though she had all the time in the world. Faize cleared his throat, and Lymle acknowledged this gesture with a slight furrow of her brow as she drew another symbol on the ship.

“Dumb Faize,” Lymle finally said after a long while of Faize watching her draw on the ship. “Go away. Leave me alone.”

“I won’t do such a thing,” Faize said, continuing to watch Lymle draw on the ship. “Lymle, you’ve been acting distant towards me ever since I’ve received this cloak. Is there any reason why that is?”

“I don’t care anymore, ‘kay?” Lymle said, though the furrow in her brow indicated that this wasn’t so. 

She turned her back on him, trying to hum to herself to block out any conversational noise that Faize would make towards her. The pointed ignoring of him was starting to annoy Faize, and Faize said, while barely holding onto his patience with the girl, said, “Look, I want to make things right between us. We need to work together as a team, and if you’re acting this way towards me, then well, our coordination is going to suffer for it. Do you want that to happen? Do you want our team to fail because we haven’t smoothed out our squabbles with one another?”

Lymle paused for a moment, and Faize thought that he might have gotten through to her. Her expression still remained rather doll-like, though she looked towards Faize with honey-brown eyes and seemed to appraise him. Faize wondered what she could possibly be searching for in his demeanor, his face, his eyes. 

“You care about her,” Lymle said after a long while. “I don’t like talking about it, ‘kay?”

Faize suddenly got a realization burrowing into his brain, and he suspected that it might have been this, but he didn’t know it until now. Lymle was jealous of his attentions towards the bunny girl, wasn’t she?

“I do care about her,” Faize said, though he reached a hand gently patted the Lemurisan on the head. “But I care about you too, Lymle. Nothing will change that.”

Something in her gaze flickered, though Faize couldn’t tell what kind of emotion she expressed in her porcelain doll face. “Do you feel that I’ve been ignoring you all this time, Lymle?”

Lymle hugged her wand close to her chest, before she gave a nod, causing her pigtails to sway forward with the movement of her head. “It’s stupid, but I don’t like the bunny girl. I don’t like…” she scrunched up her face, searching for the right words to say. “How she looks at Faize. I don’t like it, ‘kay?”

“Oh Lymle,” Faize said, almost laughing at the absurdity of the situation. It was simply a matter of Lymle getting a little jealous of the bunny girl, is all. “You’re a silly little girl, you know that? There’s nothing to worry about. As long as we’re together, you’re…you’re the only one for me.”

The glow in Lymle’s eyes seemed to brighten at this, and Lymle stood on her tiptoes to face Faize. As he knelt down to her level, she bumped her head against his. The impact of her head crashing against his hurt a bit, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle.

“What was that for, Lymle?” Faize said while rubbing his head a little dazedly.

“For being a big dummy,” Lymle said simply, though Faize thought that he caught a blush on her cheeks before she turned away from him. He could live with that, he supposed. At least he had been forgiven.


	5. Chapter 5

5\. Never give up.  
Something was bothering Faize. Lymle knew this. Most people viewed her as an innocent little child, with a mind that was regressed into a childhood like state even though she was a teenager like the rest of them. Even if she couldn’t express herself verbally, she could think quite well, and would quietly observe while others would dismiss her as childish or completely naïve. She knew before anyone else that something was wrong with Faize. He tried his hardest not to show it anyone, though Lymle became accustomed to his expressions, his demeanor, every little thing about him.

After the bunny girl’s death, Faize became…more distant. Lymle didn’t like the bunny girl’s attraction to Faize, nor Faize’s reciprocated gestures of affection, though she wouldn’t have wished death on anyone. Not on her love rival, nor on her worst enemy. He wore the cloak that she gave him and coveted selfishly. He wouldn’t let anyone else touch it, not even Lymle. Lymle tried her best to comfort Faize, though he pushed her away. She wanted to tell him that she loved him, that she was there for him. However, every time she tried, Faize would get a depressive gloom in his eye and continue stroking the cloak.

“You know, Lymle,” Faize said to her one day. Lymle listened. “It seems that whatever happiness I have is taken away.”

Lymle didn’t make her usual remark about Faize being dumb. This was a serious moment, and Faize was opening up to her, so she would listen as long as he needed her.

“I’ve…never been good with death,” Faize admitted to her. “I know that eventually, humans and creatures and plants will eventually die. That is the cycle of life that the Eldarians teach. One day, the suns around planets will explode and life will perish in that galaxy. Then what is left? Nothing.”

Lymle sat beside Faize and brushed her fingers against his. When he didn’t resist, she eventually held tight onto his hand, her face not revealing her emotion, though inside she was breaking apart at Faize’s emotional breakdown.

“I…I feel that I’m responsible somehow,” Faize said while biting his lip and holding down his head. He squeezed Lymle’s hand back. “If only…I could’ve saved her. She hadn’t needed to die such a senseless death. Sometimes, Lymle…I just feel like giving up. What use is it to continue on when my heart burdens me so?”

Lymle wanted to tell Faize that love wasn’t a burden. She knew that he loved the bunny girl, and jealously wished he directed his attention her way, though he didn’t seem to see her. So Lymle will be patient and be the best friend that she could be to him. She would comfort him. She would listen to his troubles. She would be there to pick up the pieces.

“Faize...”

He gazed in her direction, tears suddenly pricking the corners of his eyes.

“I want you to smile, ‘kay? I want Faize…to be happy. Seeing Faize like this…hurts more than a broken leg.”

Faize immediately blinked his tears away, before he simply cuddled against Lymle in an unrelenting hug. He held onto her as though he wouldn’t let go. Lymle returned the gesture, breathing in his scent, sharing his sorrow. She wanted to tell him to never give up, that there was hope, that he was there. But her stupid self couldn’t say them. She left those words unspoken, allowing him to reminisce and find closure for his emotions for the bunny girl. It hurt, but Lymle wasn’t selfish, as much as she wanted to be selfish. When the tears finally stopped, Faize straightened and unwrapped his arms from Lymle. His eyes were red and swollen, though Lymle thought that Faize always looked beautiful even in his grief.

“Lymle,” Faize said, before he managed to smile a little. It was strained and looked like he was in pain, but at least he was trying to smile for her, at least, when she could not herself. “You’ve always been there. I know I’m being selfish, but I need you. I pushed you away all this time, wallowing in my own misery, thinking about myself, but you are feeling sorrow too, right?”

“It’s ‘kay,” Lymle said, before she lolled her head against his chest and rested on the bench with him like a lover. “Sleep, Faize.”

“Yes…I think I shall,” Faize said softly, before he planted a kiss on the top of her forehead and stroking her hair. They remained in that position for a while, taking comfort in each other’s presence, until they fell asleep. When Lymle woke up and Faize was s till sleeping, she saw a small smile on his face through his tears. There was hope after all; and she knew that Faize would eventually heal.


	6. Chapter 6

6\. Tell me the truth.  
Lymle was acting coldly towards him again. Could it be because of the cloak he wore on his shoulder? He didn’t k now. Though Fraize decided to investigate the matter and observed Lymle. She drew on the ship more frequently with angry scribbles, and her little jaw was set and rigid in a subtle expression of irritation. He knew something was up, as Edge would probably say. He didn’t know much about the affairs of a girl’s heart, though Edge convinced him that women were complicated creatures and men just couldn’t fathom them. Though Faize wouldn’t think of anything to slight his idol, he figured that Edge Maverick was a little bit dense when it came to women. There was a beautiful woman that was available to him, his childhood friend Reimi Saionji. Yet the subtle glances and brushing of fingers were subtle signs that Edge missed. Was Faize doing the same thing with Lymle?

Now, Lymle was harder to determine. She rarely expressed her emotions as openly as Reimi did, who laughed and cried and smiled easily. Lymle…remained as mysterious as she’s ever been. Though she may have a child like stature and way of speaking, Faize knew that somewhere dee underneath lay a woman as every bit as mature as Reimi, Myuria, or even Meracle. Faize pondered how he acquired the friendship of so many friends that were diverse in nature and background—though he supposed what united them all together was their sense of adventure and wonderment in the galaxy. Everything seemed so small and insignificant when compared to the vast reaches of space. The only thing that surpassed the reaches of space was the depth’s of a woman’s heart, or so Reimi would tell him.

“One day,” Reimi said, “You’ll find someone that you absolutely know is the one. You can’t stop thinking about them. You want to be with them and support them and love them with all your heart. They make you very happy and feel lightheadeded, as though you’re floating on air. That’s the amazing thing about falling in love…you know it when you meet the right person.”

Faize couldn’t say that he felt light headed and dizzy when he was around Lymle, but when Reimi deliberately arranged it so that the two of them would room together on the ship, Faize would often tuck Lymle into bed while she was snoozing and kiss her lightly on the forehead while she curled up further in the comforts of the blankets. Being with Lymle put his own heart at ease. Though ever since Faize met with the bunny girl on the planet, Lymle…seemed to be getting more moody.

There was only one logical conclusion that this led to. That…Lymle was jealous of his time spent with the bunny girl? Now usually, Faize and Lymle had their antagonistic moments to one another. She would give him the shoulder when Faize would do something stupid or offended her, such as treating her like a child. When they first met, Faize got quite a scare when Lymle decided to let loose Cerberus on him. He didn’t doubt her talents or ability from then on.

He caught a glimpse of Lymle in the corner drawing on the ship. Taking a deep breath to prepare for what he had to say, Faize then stepped forward and held Lymle’s wrist so that she could stop drawing.

“Lymle,” Faize said. “You’re upset with me. I can tell.”

“It has nothing to do with Dumb Faize,” Lymle said as she broke Faize’s grip on her wrist and started to scribble on the ship with her wand.  
“Lymle, tell me the truth. You’re upset with me, aren’t you? Is it because…of the bunny girl?”

Lymle paused and turned rigid. She turned to face him, a slight frown on her lips, before saying, “The cloak looks dumb on Faize, by the way.”

“So it does have to do with her, am I right?”

Silence.

“Lymle. Talk to me, please. We need to improve our communication efforts with one another if we should hope to coordinate well in battle together. I need to clear everything up with you before something happens to get us both hurt, all because we wouldn’t communicate with one another. So tell me. Are you…afraid that she’s going to take me away from you?”

Lymle stomped her foot on the ground, shaking her head furiously. “I don’t like her, ‘kay? Faize, leave me alone. I don’t want to talk to you.”

“But I’m willing to talk,” Fazie said gently, seeing that he was right on the mark about the bunny girl. He would talk over this with her gently, to remedy any bruised feelings. Sure, there was an attraction to the bunny girl; she was beautiful and comely, though Lymle had her own charms and beauty that transcended the grace of childhood into something more. “Please Lymle, tell me the truth. I swear as an Eldarian that I will speak nothing but the truth with you.”

Faize put a hand to his heart. This was a high vow by an Eldarian. They preferred the essence of logic and truth, and saying this to Lymle meant that he would be forthright with her and cam any fears or unease that she may have had. Life seemed to stir into Lymle’s eyes while she watched him carefully, wondering what to say next. Her tiny, delicate hand rose to her cupid bow lips, and she pressed her fingers against them. Then, with her two fingers, she pressed them against Faize’s lips. That gesture spoke more than any words could’ve.

“I love you too, Lymle,” Faize said. “I care about you a lot…and I was thinking about what Miss Reimi asid. That you know when you find the right person. The one person…that I would like to be with…to cherish forever…is you, Lymle. This is the truth, I solemnly swear.”

Lymle blinked away what Faize thought were tears, before she walked closer to him and rested her head against his chest. Faize grasped hold of her, holding her like a porcelain doll, delicately and gently. He never wanted to let her go.

“Lymle,” Faize said as Lymle turned to gaze up at him. “You’ve always been by my side. You were the one who always followed me and watched my back. Whatever made you think that you were second place?”

Lymle blushed a bit, and shook her head furiously as she gripped Faize into a tight hug.

“I didn’t want to lose Faize.”

“I don’t want to lose you either, Lymle,” Faize said gently as he began stroking her cheek. “I vow that I will stay by your side. I promise.”

Lymle’s eyes shone, before she clutched Faize even tighter.


	7. Chapter 7

7\. Go to hell.  
Lymle was normally a calm, quiet girl who didn’t express any of her emotions. When she wasn’t sticking her tongue out at Faize and giving him a hard time, she was actually a very well behaved girl. Yet, Faize did something that was absolutely unforgiveable to her, and she didn’t just give him the cold shoulder or yell at him in a fiery tantrum. Oh no, she was absolutely furious! When they made their way onto a hot springs planet that catered to traveling tourists across the galaxy, Faize, with great reluctance, spied on the ladies on the other side of the hot spring divider along with Edge, who felt a bit of mischievous fun, the girls’ slapped the two boys across their delicate visages and were left with searing red handmarks across their faces for weeks. Faize did tell Edge that it was a bad idea, though Edge wanted to get back at Reimi for something in their relationship with one another. It was a normally stable relationship, but at the moment, Reimi’s storm signals could be felt throughout the entire ship. Lymle summoned Cerberus after them while they were in the hot springs ,and it took them hours to get down from a tree that Cerberus chased them, roaring furiously.

Maybe Faize should test the waters. He would try speaking to Lymle. When he saw her pigtailed head in passing, Faize tentatively held out a hand.

Before he could so much as utter a hello, Cerberus was summoned and he chomped down on Faize’s hand for good measure. Cerberus barked a couple of times, before disappearing to the Netherworld it was summoned from upon Lymle’s command.

“It’s bleeding,” Faize said with a sigh, before he went to the Infirmary to get some bandages and wrap it around his hand. “Better do something before it gets infected. That damned hell hound…what kind of pet is he, anyway?”

He wondered this aloud, and Lymle happened to hear this. She summoned Cerberus again, and Faize could feel the leonine canine letting out its hot breath against his back. Faize took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, before he took off running throughout the ship, with Cerberus in hot pursuit. 

“Lymle! Call Cerberus off this instant!” Faize said helplessly while the hell hound knocked overa table and sent fruits sprawling across the floor.

“Go to hell,” Lymle said in a cold tone, before she crossed her arms and turned away in a huff.

Cerberus leaped, and pinned Fazie down to the ground. Faize could feel his hot breath panting against his face while the beast snarled at him dangerously. Faize lay completely still, and he noticed that Lymle was off in the corner deliberately ignoring him.

“Lymle, please, call him off,” Faize pleaded. “I’m sorry about the hot springs incident. I didn’t think it was a good idea, but I went along with it anyway. I really shouldn’t have done that, it was improper and I will atone for it, but just get Cerberus off of me!”

Lymle turned her head with a cold cast in her eyes, before she said. “Did you see?”

Faize gulped. “No. I didn’t see anything.”

“You saw…” Lymle said, before she gestured to her chest and making balls out of her hands. “Rei Rei’s.. Rei Rei’s boobies.”

Faize blinked. Was she jealous that Faize accidentally glimpsed at Reimi’s unmentionables while he was going along with Edge’s shenanigans? She wasn’t mad that he could’ve seen her naked, but instead saw Reimi naked? Faize blushed, which was a telltale sign that he saw. Lymle huffed.

“Cerberus…” Lymle started to say.

Faize clenched his eyes shut, expecting jaw full of sharp teeth to snap closed on his tender face. When he didn’t feel his face getting ripped to pieces from Cerberus’s jaws, Faize blinked one eye open and saw that Lymle was straddling him instead of Cerberus.

“Faize,” Lymle said. “Will not do that ever again.”

Faize swallowed.

“I won’t.”

Lymle stared at him further, before she said. “If Faize wanted to see…he could’ve just asked…”

Faize blushed several shades of red. Was she…was she offering herself to him? She would’ve really let him take a peek at her unclothed body if he simply asked? Faize swallowed again. He wondered if it was another trap. He wanted to see her unclothed at times, wondering what lay underneath the frills and lace, but Faize wouldn’t give into vice and temptation! He needed to show temperance and restraint!

“I, uh…Lymle…It’s not appropriate to do that…here, where everyone can see us.”

Lymle then leaned forward, ever so gently, to whisper in his ear. “Revenge.”

With that, Lymle took off all his clothes and left him stranded in the middle of the ship completely naked. Faize covered himself, before he drooped his head. He supposed he deserved this, after all. However, it was a light punishment that Lymle gave it, and Faize did say he would atone for his sins, after all. Faize couldn’t help but chuckle a bit, before he left towards his quarters to get a spare change of clothes.


	8. Chapter 8

8\. Take off your clothes.  
Faize noticed that Lymle walked with a limp around the Calnus. She didn’t make any outward expression of pain, though Faize thought he saw a pinch looked in her face as she carefully walked. Every time that Faize attempted to ask how Lymle was feeling, the Lemurisan would simply turn her head away with disdain and say, “Go away, Faize.” Of course, Faize would do no such thing; it’s not that he was particularly worried about Lymle, it was simply the fact that Lymle would be a burden if she couldn’t perform to the best of her abilities when it came to battle. At least, that’s what Faize attempted to tell himself every time he crossed paths with Lymle.

Faize eventually managed to corner Lymle in a corridor. Lymle looked in each direction for an escape route, though Faize blocked every possible passage. “Lymle, I know that something’s wrong. You have a tendency to favor your left leg, and you walk with a slight limp. Why don’t you go to the infirmary or ask someone to help you?”

Finally forced to confront Faize’s questions, Lymle looked up at Faize and stomped her good foot on the ground. “Let me go, Faize. I don’t wanna go to the infirmary. It smells funny.”

Faize knelt down so that he was about Lymle’s level, before he said, “There is nothing to be afraid of. I will take you there if you need someone.”

Lymle crossed her arms and made a slight huff. “I don’t wanna go together with dumb Faize. I don’t wanna go. I hate it.”

“If you don’t want to go to the infirmary, then,” Faize said, standing up and taking Lymle’s tiny hand and leading her down the corridor. “We’ll go to my room. We’ll fix you up there.”

Lymle stared up at Faize, before she gave a reluctant nod and followed him. Faize made sure to slow down his pace so that it matched Lymle’s. Faize had to say that Lymle was a stalwart young girl who kept pressing on, despite the pain that no doubt afflicted her. Once they made their way to Faize’s sleeping quarters, Faize then set Lymle down on the edge of his bed. He carefully took off her shoes, set them aside, and said, “Lymle…I’ll need you to take off your stockings. I need to get a look at whatever’s ailing you.”

“This is weird…’kay?” Lymle said, fidgeting nervously on the bed. 

“I understand that it must be…awkward, but that’s the only thing I require that you take off. I’ll turn around and won’t look. All right?”

Lymle looked at Faize, before she nodded slightly. “Don’t look, ‘kay?”

“I won’t.”

Faize then turned around, looking out the window that provided a picturesque view of outer space. He heard the hushed whisper of fabric being slipped off.

“Faize can look now,” Lymle said. She shifted again on the edge of the bed. 

Faize turned, before he gently lifted the leg that bothered Lymle. Lymle winced, though she didn’t cry out. She then assumed that unnatural stillness that always made Faize think of her as a doll. Faize then lightly applied pressure on Lymle’s leg, until he found the spot where Lymle fractured her leg. Faize nodded, before he temporarily left to get some bandages and dressings, and came back to wrap them around Lymle’s leg. Once he finished, Faize said, “There. I advise you to rest as much as possible. Your leg will need some time to heal. If you…need anything, then I shall get it for you.”

Lymle looked towards Faize, before she said, “Thank you…Faize. I’ll be fine, ‘kay?”

“Of course. Oh…and one final thing…”

Faize then knelt down again, before his lips brushed against the cast around Lymle’s leg. Lymle stiffened, before a slight blush suffused life into her cheeks. “That was really weird…’kay?”

“Ah, excuse me,” Faize said, standing up and bowing a little in apology. “Miss Reimi said that kissing ‘boo-boos’ helps make it better. That’s all.”

Lymle stepped off the bed, coming to her feet light, before she lightly hit Faize on the head.

“You’re a dummy, Faize.”


	9. Chapter 9

9\. Fall in love with me.  
When Faize handed her a white flower, her heart fluttered in her throat. A light blush suffused her cheeks as she took the flower and held it gently in her hands, taking in its scent. A sentimental gesture, one that Lymle wouldn’t have thought Faize would have directed towards her. But he smiled at her, the smile reaching his eyes, and Lymle smiled too in response. She couldn’t speak out of joy, and a light-headed dizziness overcame her as the surreal situation began to unfold. Here was Faize in front of her, alive and well, but most importantly, smiling at her. Faize didn’t speak, though the flower that he handed her stated his intentions well enough.

Lymle held the flower in her hand, and she then wrapped her arms around Faize and held him close, as though he would meld right into her heart. How she had missed him so! How she had despaired when she heard that Faize had fallen into the abyss, never to be seen again. All that she knew was that her Faize was here, her Faize was real, and Faize was by her side, warm and welcoming. Faize returned the hug, wrapping his arms around Lymle’s petite shoulders, before he knelt down and kissed the top of her hand gently. Lymle’s heart swelled with love for him, and suddenly she wanted more than a kiss on the hand, she wanted to kiss him on the lips, to taste him.

Lymle takes the initiative and gives Faize a lasting kiss, though it was a little awkward and shy, like two moths bumping together in the night. Yet Faize deepened the kiss between them and Lymle was blushing once more with intense heat in her cheeks. Once they parted away from one another, the two of them left breathless and blushing, though satisfied with their first kisses being sated in one another. 

“You’ve grown, Lymle,” Faize stated, and Lymle nodded in response to his answer.

“Dumb Faize,” Lymle said, though this was said in an affectionate tone rather than an insulting one. “I thought you left me alone, forever. I didn’t know what I’d do without you. I’m so glad you’re back home. Come live with me on Lemuris.”

His fingers intertwined with her own, and Lymle looked up towards Faize while he smiled down upon her.

“I think I could spend the rest of days in Lemuris. With you, Lymle.”

“There are so many things I wanted to tell you.”

“There are also things I’ve wanted to say, but have been too proud to say before. But Lymle, I…”

He hesitated for a moment, and Lymle waited in anticipation for his answer. But she already knew the answer, what he was going to say. The flower in her hand proved to be the very thing that showed his love for her. Still, to hear him say that he loved her was something that her girlish heart would have cherished forever. 

“I love you too, Faize,” Lymle said in a whisper, and Faize gave her a brilliant smile at this.

“Oh Lymle, my affections for you have never wavered. I promise you that.”

Lymle felt tears involuntarily streaming down her porcelain cheeks, and Faize looked at her confusion. Her heart was glad to hear those words, especially since Lymle acted cold towards Faize sometimes, mainly because she felt that he viewed her like a baby. Baby Lymle, not a mature young woman like Reimi or Myuria. It was stupid of her to cry, she shed enough tears over Faize’s supposed death, and now Faize was here with her now. But the tears still came, unbidden, and Faize gently wiped them away from Lymle’s eyes.

“I always wanted to hear you say that,” Lymle whispered. “That you loved me. I loved you too, you know. And despite everything, I love you now.”

“I know that I’ve done some terrible things,” Faize said as he glanced away a bit awkwardly, biting his lip. “I’m not sure if I can ever make amends. But Lymle, did you know what I was thinking while I was falling into the abyss? I can’t die here, not now. I still haven’t told Lymle that I’ve loved her. Through some miracle, I have survived to share this sentiment with you.”

“Don’t beat yourself up, Faize,” Lymle said as she placed another gentle kiss on his lips. “It’s in the past now. You’re now home now. That’s all that matters.”


	10. Chapter 10

10\. Give me another chance.  
Life normally didn’t give you second chances. When you reached the end of your life, you were done, finished. Everything would eventually terminate in this cycle of life, and in the grand process of things, the universe would be destroyed and then reborn anew again in an infinite cycle of death and rebirth, or so the Eldarians believed. When Faize fell into the abyss, he felt for sure that he was dead. He didn’t know how he survived, though through sheer force of will, he climbed from the ravine and towards the edge of the precipice where he fell to his supposed doom. With each great climb scaling back up, Faize thought about one thing—Lymle.

What he did was unforgiveable. Really, any punishment, whether through divine retribution or through mortal means, were more than too kind to him. He probably shouldn’t even exist right now, though Fate took things in her manicured hands and designed that he lived. So Faize believed that this was his chance for redemption. He would make up for all the trouble and drama that he caused to his friends and comrades. He would tell Lymle that he loved her, instead of chasing after a hopeless doomed love that he couldn’t move past from. Yes, that’s what he’d do.

Faize took a deep breath and continued climbing.

I will tell her. If I make it out of here alive, then I will tell her.

\--x—

There was somewhere he had to go. The only person he knew that would accept him back, after all that he did. His other friends may not want to see him right now, but he felt that if he could start his life anew, it would be on this planet. The planet that Lymle currently resided on.

He saw her at the statue of her grandfather. She was crying. Faize gave her a yellow flower and put into her hair to comfort her. When Lymle turned around, he was surprised to see her mature a little bit, after she started expressing her emotions freely again. First tears, and then she hugged him gently and vowed to let go again Faize returned her gesture, feeling his heart swell with gladness—how he missed her touch, the feel of her against hm, the sound of her voice. Then, when they finally parted after a long time, Lymle gave him the most beautiful smile that he’d ever seen. She was positively radiant, and the flower in her hair was most becoming.

“Lymle…” Faize said. “I know what I did was unforgiveable. As an Eldarian, I’m will swear to the truth from here now on. I did many terrible things yet, things that were unforgiveable, I betrayed and fought against my friends…I rejected and shunned you, when you were the one who believed in me the most. But Lymle…I was given a second chance. It’s more than I deserve, I know. But I thought…if I were to survive…I would tell you that I…”

Lymle put a finger to his lips, silencing him. She shook her head while smiling affectionately at him.

“It’s all right, Faize. You’re home now. Welcome home.”

“Then…I’m forgiven? Despite all I did?”

Faize felt something catch in his throat, and something very near to tears burned his eyes.

“Everyone deserves a second chance,” Lymle said simply. “You will redeem yourself by living on this planet with me and teaching the children Symbology with me. I taught them how to grow flowers. Look.”

Faize looked towards the flower fields, impressed by the menagerie of colors and soft floral petals that awaited him. It was a resplendent sight, and Faize thought he could gaze upon the fields forever, marveling in their infinite beauty. But the one who had beauty that surpassed even the flower fields and the infinite reaches of outer space was Lymle. He could simply just kiss her now, on those cupid bow lips. She truly grew into a beautiful woman, just like Faize knew she was all along.

“I’m…very impressed,” Faize said to Lymle. “Maybe one day, I will reveal myself to the others. But for now, I want to live in quiet and peace. I certainly hope that they’re doing well, though, but they’ve got their own lives to live. Lymle…what do you think about…starting a family, maybe? Or we could live together on this planet as husband and wife.”

Lymle smiled again, her eyes crinkling with delight at his proposal.

“I would like that. Very much.”

Faize then rested his head atop of hers, holding her in a loving embrace.

“I’m home, Lymle,”


End file.
